David Review

So it has been about a month since we last left David and his children. At the time, David was beginning another very hectic time of his life. If you remember back to the middle of 1 Samuel when we first met David, he was chosen by God to be king of Israel. The only problem was that Saul was the king at that time, and he had a son. But due to Saul’s unfaithfulness, God took the kingdom away from him and his family and promised it to David. Knowing what the future held, Saul did everything he could to find and kill David. Not only did he want to preserve his kingdom, but he wanted his children to have the opportunity to rule over Israel as well. So Saul spent many years tracking David, but David was continuously protected by God. During those years on the run, David had two opportunities to kill Saul, which would have relieved a lot of stress from his life. But David knew that it would not be right for him to be the one to kill the king if he were to then take the throne. He decided to leave vengeance to God, and in time, God followed through on His promise.


Saul was eventually killed in battle, and the kingdom fell right into David’s hands. This led into a very peaceful time for Israel and for David. The kingdom expanded as David added conquered new lands, and Israel experienced some of its greatest days under his leadership. God had truly blessed Israel on account of David. However, David was human, just like all of us. After seeing Bathsheba bathing on a nearby roof, David let temptation get the best of him, and he fell into a series of sins that destroyed his reputation. He committed adultery, murder, and acted as a coward as he tried to cover up his sin. In the end, he lost a child as punishment for his actions. The good news was that God is and has always been a forgiving God. Through Nathan the prophet, God sent word to David that eventually led him to repentance. He was truly sorry for all he had done, and he asked for a second chance, a new start.

While God gave David that second chance, his life did not necessarily improve. There were still consequences for his actions, but unlike Saul, who continued to turn away from God when life sent him challenges, David only grew closer to God. The second half of 2 Samuel is the story about the struggles David experienced after his great mistake. He will once again be on the run, fearful for his life, running from one of his children. 2 Samuel 13 introduced this story showing how a fight arose between two of David’s sons, Amnon and Absalom. This conflict would escalate into something much worse. So as we continue the story of David we will see the importance of clinging to God, allowing Him to have control of our lives. Life will always throw us challenges, and we have two choices when it does. Will we choose to become angry with God and turn away from Him (as Saul did) or will we choose to turn to God for help, trusting that He can be our support, our comfort, and our hope in those hard times (like David)?

The story continues in 2 Samuel 13…

Matt